They gather momentum, building to a crescendo and leading to the moment the NBA has awaited since last April when Rose tore his left ACL against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

And when the moment arrives – say maybe a few weeks after the All-Star break – the Bulls expect to be in fine position to climb higher in the Eastern Conference standings.

Without Rose, the Bulls are 27-17 and in third place in the East, ½ game ahead of the Brooklyn Nets. They have more than held it together as Rose recovers, rehabs and gets ready for a pivotal stretch.

"I'm pleased with the attitude and approach of the team," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "There's certainly a lot of things we can do better, and I want us to continue to improve and stay focused on what's ahead -- our road is going to get tougher. The challenge becomes greater and we've got to keep grinding. That's our way. That's how we can have success."

Thibodeau learned to play without Rose for stretches last season. Rose played in just 39 of 66 regular-season games last season, and the Bulls were 18-9 without him. With him, they were 32-7.

But still, Thibodeau knew, with effort and commitment to defense, the Bulls could win, minus Rose. And they have.

And in Rose's absence, Thibodeau, an outstanding coach who is more than just a defensive guru, deserves credit for putting the Bulls in this position with a completely different bench. Gone from last year's top-seeded team in the East: Kyle Korver, C.J. Watson, Ronnie Brewer and Omer Asik. In are Nate Robinson, Marco Belinelli, Kirk Hinrich. They join Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler, who were with Chicago last season.

The Bulls are No. 3 in defensive efficiency (97.5 points allowed per 100 possessions). It's been enough to compensate for their offensive efficiency, which is No. 21 at 100.2 points scores per 100 possessions.

"If you look at it objectively, you say, 'OK, these are the areas in which we can improve,' " Thibodeau said. "You have to strive for improvement each and every day and you never have it all figured out. The challenge is to improve, study, get ready for the next game, and hopefully you're playing your best basketball down the stretch and you have to be as healthy as possible. You never want to lose sight of that.

"You're always striving for perfection, knowing you can't get there but you want to see how close you can get to being perfect. If you do that every day, it's going to lead to good things."

Thibodeau's philosophy has been rewarded – in the name of two All-Star selections, voted in by the coaches. Center Joakim Noah will play in his first All-Star Game, and forward Luol Deng in his second.

"It's their commitment to the team and to doing their job and their improvement," Thibodeau said. "I also think it's a tribute to their teammates. Playing hard and playing as a team, people in the league recognize that. They have been very consistent with the way they've performed. They're team-first guys. They play to win. They don't play for individual statistics, and they're being recognized for that. We're very pleased that that's happened."

"I also feel strongly that Carlos deserved to be on that team with the type of season he's having," he said. "It's unfortunate there's a limited amount of spots and inevitably, people who deserve are left off. All three guys are very deserving. We understood going into the season being shorthanded that we were going to have to do it collectively and those three guys have led the way."

Soon, it will be a fourth guy in Rose, and with him back, the Bulls believe they have a shot at the first or second seed.

Washington Wizards Emeka Okafor has played well since the return of point guard John Wall.(Photo: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

Okafor emerges for Wizards

Point guard John Wall has re-invigorated the Washington Wizards since his return in mid-January from a knee issue.

Maybe no player has benefited more from Wall's presence than center Emeka Okafor. The Wizards were already playing decent defense with Okafor on the court prior to Wall's return.

Okafor's offensive contributions have improved in the past month as the Wizards won seven games in January.

In the first two months of the season, Okafor averaged 7.6 points 6.9 rebounds, and the Wizards scored just 90.4 points per 100 possessions with Okafor on the court compared to 94.9 points per 100 possessions with Okafor on the bench. Even taking into account Okafor's rebounding and defense, Washington was a slightly better team with Okafor sitting.

That has not been the case in January. This month, Okafor averages 10.9 points and 11 rebounds, and he has seven double-doubles. With Okafor on the court, the Wizards have scored 103.8 points per 100 possessions and with Okafor on the bench, just 94.4 points per 100 possessions.

"He is playing great. Emeka is working his tail off, off the floor, which I think has given him what he's giving us," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "He puts in a lot of work, before practice, after practice. Coming from a vet, that's a great sign for our young guys. Hopefully they watch that. I think that's why he's playing the way he is."

The Okafor-Nene combination has produced for Washington this month, giving the Wizards a solid front line with Wall and rookie shooting guard Bradley Beal in the backcourt.

Deng angry with UK Sport

Luol Deng has given an inordinate of time and sacrifice to Great Britain Basketball, especially last year when he represented Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics.

FIBA, international basketball's governing body, has worked with Great Britain, giving it ample opportunity to get its basketball program in order so that it can be a factor on the international scene.

And when UK Sport eliminated approximately $13 million in funding for Great Britain in the 2016 Rio Olympic cycle, Deng understandably was unhappy. Overall, UK Sport increased its funding nearly 11% for Rio.

Deng wrote a letter to addressed to British Prime Minister David Cameron and called the lack of funding "deeply upsetting and confusing to say the least."

UK Sport adapted a "No Compromise" philosophy with a "commitment to channel the resources needed toward athletes and sports with the greatest chance of succeeding on the world stage, both in the immediate future and in the longer term."

Great Britain's men's and women's basketball teams did not advanced out of group play at the London Olympics. The women did not win a game, and the men were 1-4.

"My initial reaction was to try and understand why and how if by any means I could help to change this," Deng wrote. "The UK has given so much to my family and I, the hour and pride I've felt to play for Team GB over the last 5 years has been something words really can't explain. Looking back to when we started, it's incredible how far the team has come; so many people have worked too hard for this to happen now.

"I truly feel like we are starting to put British Basketball on the map and we are now being taken seriously on the world stage. … I refuse to sit back and let that legacy be completely demolished for basketball. I along with thousands of other people involved with the game have put too much in and care too greatly to let this happen."

Great Britain Sports organizations who had funding cut will make their case at a hearing Wednesday.

Delivering power

Here are my top choices in this week's USA TODAY Sports NBA power rankings: